1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a camera, and more particularly to a barrier mechanism of the camera.
2. Related Background Art
There exists a barrier mechanism slidably moving along a front surface of a camera between a position for covering a photographic lens barrel and a position for letting the lens barrel be exposed in order to protect the a photographic lens of the camera. For example, a camera with a slide cover disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,891 has a configuration that two lengths of guide rails are extended on the front surface of the camera, and a barrier is provided with engaging pawls engaging with the guide rails and can be thereby slid along the guide rails. Further, this barrier is provided with a click ball constructed to operate in closing and opening positions of the barrier. While this click ball is resiliently biased toward a rear surface of the barrier from the side of the camera body, there is provided a come-off preventive member for regulating a protruded quantity of the click ball on the side of the camera body in order not to cause floating of the barrier due to an excessive press onto the barrier.
Further, similarly in a camera with a slide cover disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-333687, the camera body is provided with the guide rails, and the barrier is provided with the engaging pawls engaging with the guide rails and can be thereby slid along the guide rails. The rear surface of the barrier is formed with a recessed portion for adjusting the protruded quantity of the click ball in order to prevent the barrier from warping and floating because of the click ball excessively pressing the barrier in a barrier movable range.
The rear surface of the barrier of the camera with the slide cover disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,891 includes channels formed, extending in up-and-down directions, in a position facing to the click ball when the barrier is fully opened and in a position facing to the click ball when the barrier is completely closed. The click ball on the rear surface of the barrier abuts on the channels, thereby holding the barrier in the fully-opened position and in the completely-closed position. Further, a barrier-sided surface of the camera body is provided with the come-off preventive portion for preventing the click ball from coming off, and hence the click ball must be, on the occasion of incorporating the click ball, incorporated from the rear side of the camera body. Moreover, after incorporating a spring for resiliently biasing the click ball, it is required that a holding member for the spring be built in.
In those barrier mechanisms, the positional regulation of the barrier in the up-and-down directions in the camera is attained by engaging the engaging pawls of the barrier with the guide rails on the side of the camera body. If a gap is formed in the engagement, the barrier might undergo a vertical backlash. This backlash is eliminated by setting the fitting (engaging) dimensions strictly. A frictional resistance caused when the barrier moves along the guide rails, however, increases, and it follows that it is difficult to obtain a sense of smooth operation. It is therefore necessary for obtaining the sense of smooth operation and the fitness with no backlash to set dimensional accuracies each other at an extremely strict level. An adjustment mechanism is required to be added as the case may be, and this might becomes, it can be considered, a factor for bringing about a scale-up and a decline of mass-productivity.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a camera includes a barrier member slidably movable along the surface of a camera to a closing position for covering a lens barrel of a camera body and to an opening position for letting the lens barrel be exposed, and a pressing member for pressing the barrier member from the side of the camera body and regulating the slide movement of the barrier member in the closing and opening positions. The barrier member is provided with a guide member abutting on the pressing member at a plurality of points with the center of the pressing member being interposed therebetween in a direction along the surface of the camera and in a direction orthogonal to a slide moving direction of the barrier member, thereby eliminating a backlash of the barrier member.
Other objects and advantages besides those discussed above shall be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which follows. In the description, reference is made to accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which illustrate an example of the invention. Such example, however, is not exhaustive of the various embodiments of the invention, and therefore reference is made to the claims which follow the description for determining the scope of the invention.